Parents Television Council
Parents Television Council | |
Founder | L. Brent Bozell III |
---|---|
Type | Interest group |
Founded | 1995 |
Headquarters | Alexandria, Virginia and Los Angeles, California |
Key people | L. Brent Bozell III (founder), Tim Winter (current president), advisory board members include Billy Ray Cyrus, C. Delores Tucker, Sam Brownback, Steve Allen |
Area served | United States |
Focus | "Bringing back responsibility and family values to the entertainment industry" |
Method | Media attention, direct-appeal campaigns |
Members | 1,000,000 |
Slogan | "Because our children are watching" |
Website | http://www.parentstv.org |
The Parents Television Council (PTC) is a US-based nonprofit organization run and founded by conservative activist L. Brent Bozell III whose stated goal is to "promote and restore responsibility to the entertainment industry."[1] Its campaigns include cable choice which allows subscribers to select and pay for only those channels they watch, holding advertisers accountable for the television programs their ads support, and trying to protect children from television content they find to be harmful and negative. According to various standards and practices executives, the PTC is responsible for 99% of complaints filed with the FCC, with its own members filing tens of thousands of complaints per year, a number which does not include complaints filed with the FCC by non-members through the PTC webpage.[2][3][4] Its slogan is: "Because our children are watching".
The counterpart to the PTC in the UK is Mediawatch, an organization apparently having a membership of some 40,000 people, but which has a much smaller impact than its American cousin.
Publications
Columns & reports
The website of the PTC features reports on harmful content on television and regular writings from its staff. Their research is done with the support of their Entertainment Tracking System, an archive of prime-time television programming that they claim is the largest in the world.[5] Such publications include:
- A weekly entertainment column by founder L. Brent Bozell III that he has written since 1996[6] covering Bozell's opinions on current trends and events in entertainment.
- "Culture Watch" - Throughout 2006, the PTC published columns under this series authored by Christopher Gildemeister, covering the influence on American culture by entertainment as well as exposing the increase in sex, violence, and profanity in cable television and the methods used by advertisers and broadcasting companies to attract young audiences.[7] In September 2007, Gildemeister wrote a new "Culture Watch" column for the first time in nearly ten months.[8]
- "Parenting and the Media" authored by Rod Gustafson, where he offers advice on parenting children who frequent the media.[9]
- "TV Trends" - Another column by Christopher Gildemeister, published starting October 2007 and intending to "keep parents and other viewers informed about harmful or questionable prime-time programming."[10][11]
The Council, in 2003, released a report on Spanish programming on the major Spanish networks serving the United States, Telemundo and Univision, claiming that programming on those networks tends to have more sexual content but less profanity or violence than on English-language networks.
Family Guide to TV Viewing
The PTC's activities extend to evaluation, rating, and educating around broadcast TV programs according to a "traffic light" system across three categories of sex, violence and profanity, accumulating to an overall rating based on the ratings of these three categories. A green light indicates that the program is "appropriate for all ages", a yellow light indicates that that the program is "appropriate for junior high schoolers and older", and a red light indicates that the program is "appropriate for adult audiences only"[12] Each evaluation contains credits for the executive producer, creator, and production company of the show, the network broadcasting the show, a brief summary, content evaluation, and age recommendation. Regarding red-rated shows, certain exceptions have applied to the "adults-only" rule; although the PTC designated red shows[13] like Fear Factor,[14] Greek, Law & Order, Lost, Medium, The Nine, The O.C., One on One, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Twins , and Veronica Mars, the PTC concluded that those shows are appropriate only for audiences over the age of 14. In one case with a red-rated show, the PTC went as far as to recommend Extreme Makeover not "to any audience".[15] Two yellow-rated shows, Summerland[16] and Survival of the Richest,[17] were given recommendations for adults only". Every Friday, the PTC publishes television listings of the major American networks for the next seven days highlighting programming based on the system. A highlight in blue indicates the council has yet to evaluate the program. Some programs on the listings are always rated blue, including news-related shows like 20/20, 48 Hours, 60 Minutes, Dateline NBC, and Primetime, nightly sporting events or sports-related programming like IFL Battleground, WWE Friday Night SmackDown! (it used to have a rating but it was pulled following a lawsuit from WWE, see "WWF Smackdown" campaign below), playoff games of the MLB, NBA, NFL, or NHL, or NBC Sunday Night Football, and one-time specials or newly premiering TV series.
The Guide was introduced in 2000, but the current list of all shows evaluated by the council dates back to the 2003–2004 TV season;[18] oddly, The Agency[19] and Just Shoot Me[20] are the only shows aired before that season to be included in the list. Although the guide focuses on primetime programming on the broadcast networks, there are a few cable shows that the PTC has formally evaluated under the "traffic light" system: Greek (originally developed for ABC Family with reruns on the main ABC channel),[21] Monk[22] and Rescue Me;[23] in fact, many of the PTC-evaluated shows formerly run on broadcast networks have been syndicated to cable networks. The PTC has also used their "Family Guide" to spread their campaigns; they have done so for The Real World, Sex and the City,[24] The Shield,[25] and Skin[26]
The PTC does change the "traffic light" color of a show if the show becomes more or less appropriate for family viewing, having upgraded from "yellow" to "red" classification. From 2001 to 2003, That '70s Show was rated "yellow"[27] before being rated "red" afterwards.[28] Last Comic Standing[29] was given a "yellow" rating in 2006, but it was later changed to "red".[30] According to Jim[31][32] and George Lopez[33] have fluctuated between "yellow" and "red" in recent times, but as of 2006, both shows hold "red" and "yellow" classifications, respectively. In January 2004, the PTC downgraded Everybody Loves Raymond from "yellow" to "green" status due to "the reduction in foul language and the disappearance of sexual references", designating all episodes from that time to the show's finale in May 2005 green.[34]
Best and Worst Shows
Every television season since 1996–1997,[35] the council has released a list of the best and worst prime-time television programs for family viewing. Starting with the 2005–2006 season, their list was based on their traffic light system as well as Nielsen Media Research ratings of viewership among children ages 2–17 of certain shows.[36] Popular shows that have frequently been praised as the most family-friendly programs on television include George Lopez,[37] 7th Heaven, Touched by an Angel, Sabrina the Teenage Witch, Boy Meets World,[38] Extreme Makeover: Home Edition, American Idol, Dancing with the Stars, NBC Sunday Night Football, and Deal or No Deal.[36] Popular shows frequently named "Worst of the Season" include American Dad,[36] CSI: Crime Scene Investigation,[37][36] Dawson's Creek, The Drew Carey Show, Family Guy,[39][36] Friends,[35] The O.C., Spin City,[35][38] That '70s Show[38][37] and Will and Grace.[35][38]
Every week starting from August 2002,[40] the PTC has published weekly reviews of the best and worst television programming for family viewing, authored by the various entertainment analysts at the council. Generally, "green-lighted" shows are chosen as the best and "red-lighted" for the worst. However, "yellow-lighted" shows may be chosen for either "best" or "worst". America's Got Talent, Hope & Faith, My Name is Earl, My Wife and Kids, Scrubs, Still Standing, and Yes, Dear are all yellow-lighted shows[41] that have been desginated as "Worst of the Week" before.[42][43][44][45][46][47][48] However, the yellow-rated[49]8 Simple Rules, George Lopez, and The Tracy Morgan Show have been given both "Best"[37][50][51][52][53] and "Worst"[54][55][56][57] honors. So You Think You Can Dance is rated yellow[58] but has consistently earned "Best of the Week" honors from the PTC.[59] In some rare cases, the council picked the red-lighted[60] The Biggest Loser and Brat Camp as "Best of the Week",[61] claiming that Brat Camp "first seemed to be a show that celebrated or exploited bad kids and their outrageous behavior", but became a "series that shows that no child is a lost cause and anyone can better themselves and change."[62] The red-rated According to Jim has received both "best"[63] and "worst"[64][65] honors, although the "best" honor came when the show was still rated "yellow" back in 2004.
Never has a "Best" or "Worst" honors been given to red-rated shows Alias, America's Most Wanted, Blue Collar TV, Charmed, COPS, Half and Half, How I Met Your Mother, Jail, Law & Order, One Tree Hill, Pussycat Dolls Present:, Rules of Engagement, Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, The Unit, or Veronica Mars.[13]
Seal of Approval
To recognize excellence in the media, the Parents Television Council awards its Seal of Approval to television shows, movies, home products, and advertisers that provide or sponsor content it deems to be "family-friendly". It is divided into two categories: Entertainment and Advertiser.[66] Popular television shows that have been awarded include 7th Heaven, American Idol, The Bernie Mac Show, Everybody Loves Raymond, George Lopez, JAG, Reba, Smallville, Touched by an Angel, The West Wing, and Wonderful World of Disney. Also receiving the Entertainment Seal of Approval include products like TiVo's KidZone television filtering service, the Sky Angel Christian television service, and CleanFlicks.[67]
So You Think You Can Rate A TV Show?
The title being a play on the title of FOX television series So You Think You Can Dance, the PTC started publishing this feature, authored by one of its entertainment analysts, Katherine Kuhn, in July 2007 as proof that networks inaccurately rate their shows based on the TV Parental Guidelines, whether the network applied the improper age-based rating (such as TV-PG or TV-14) or failed to include the proper content descriptors (such as "L" for language or "V" for violence). Its first[68] and third[69] editions concerned presentations of Greek, originally developed for ABC Family, on ABC. The second concerned a presentation of Damages, originally intended for FX, on My Network TV. Regarding Greek, whose episode in question was rated "TV-14" on July 20, 2007, the PTC claimed that ABC omitted the "D" (suggestive dialogue) and "S" (sexual situations) descriptors. The other claim of a misrated Greek episode came on August 10, where the episode was "TV-PG-DLS" rather than the PTC's opinion of "TV-14-DLS". On August 1, 2007, in place of their regularly scheduled presentation of the World Music Awards, My Network TV aired an edited version of the of Damages that was originally rated "TV-MA-LS".[70] The edited version was rated "TV-14-LSV". Despite the inclusion of content descriptors that the aforementioned episode of Greek omitted, the PTC still claimed that the sexual and violent content in the My Network TV version was not highly discernable from the original FX version, again proving the faults of the TV Parental Guidelines.[71] Other shows targeted as being "misrated" have included Cold Case,[72] Family Guy,[73] The Hills,[74] The Knights of Prosperity.[75] Law & Order: Special Victims Unit,[76][77] and Private Practice[78]
Leadership
PTC was founded in 1995 by longtime political activist L. Brent Bozell III. Bozell is a prominent conservative activist who has, among other things, served as Executive Director of the , a political action committee that has supported the election of dozens of conservative candidates over the past ten years. He was also National Finance Chairman for Pat Buchanan's 1992 presidential campaign, and later President of the National Conservative Political Action Committee.
Bozell was succeeded as PTC President by Timothy F. Winter,[79] a self-described liberal[80] and registered Democrat, in January 2007.[81] Winter served as Executive Director of the PTC for three years prior to becoming president. Prior to joining the PTC, Mr. Winter's 20-year career as a media executive included positions with Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and NBC.[82]
The PTC also has an Advisory Board consisting of politicians and entertainers working to assist the council in their goal of protecting children against profanity and violence in the media.[83] Notable members of the advisory board include singer Pat Boone,[84] former football player Mel Renfro,[85] actor ,[86] country musician Billy Ray Cyrus,[87] Kansas state senator and former 2008 presidential election candidate Sam Brownback,[88] film critic Michael Medved,[89] star of the 1980s TV series Dallas and actress Susan Howard,[90] and ION Television producer Gary Johnson.[91] In addition, the PTC has established numerous local chapters for most American media markets.[92] Notable former Advisory Board members include - both of whom are now deceased - comedian Steve Allen, original host of NBC's The Tonight Show, and C. Delores Tucker, participant in the Civil Rights Movement and activist against gangsta rap music; Allen is now given the title of National Honorary Chairman-Emiritus.[93]
The PTC was recently invited to join the Consumer Advisory Committee of the Federal Communications Commission, with Dan Isett, Director of Corporate and Government Affairs of the PTC, representing the PTC on the Committee.[94]
Campaigns
Over the years, the PTC has launched several campaigns in response to "indecency" on television programs.[95] Such campaigns have also involved filing complaints with the FCC, with the PTC winning on several occasions.[96]
2000: WWF Smackdown
In 2000, the PTC launched a campaign against the professional wrestling organization World Wrestling Federation (now World Wrestling Entertainment, or WWE for short), complaining that their programming contained levels of sexuality and violence unbecoming primetime programming.[97] As part of the campaign, Brent Bozell claimed that he could prove the WWF's Thursday night program, SmackDown!, and by extension the WWF itself, was directly responsible for the deaths of four children. Bozell and various PTC members began meeting with representatives of the advertising departments of various companies that advertised on SmackDown!, informing them that they were advertising on a program that had "caused deaths."[98] At one point, the PTC boasted that, due to their campaign, between 30 and 40 of the WWF's advertisers had pulled their commercials from WWF programming.[99][98][100]
In response to the PTC's campaign, on November 9, 2000,[101] the WWF filed a lawsuit against the organization, claiming that the PTC's statements were false and constituted defamation. In addition, WWF filed a copyright infringement lawsuit against the PTC when it was discovered that the group had been using clips from WWF programs in promotional videos being mailed to corporations as a means of promoting the PTC.[102] The PTC did not initially issue a public response, instead filing that the suit be dismissed;[98] the request was denied, partially in response to a judge's finding that the companies the PTC claimed they had influenced to pull advertising from WWF programs had in fact never even advertised with the company.[102] Rather than go to trial, the PTC settled out of court.[103][102]
As part of the settlement agreement, the PTC paid the WWF/E $3.5 million USD and issued a public apology, acknowledging that they had lied about WWF/E being responsible for four children's deaths. In addition, founder Brent Bozell wrote a personal letter of apology to WWF/E owner Vince McMahon[104] Today, no WWE program is included on any PTC list of offensive programs.[105] The PTC also removed most of their remarks previously criticizing the WWF/E, including a column by Bozell from March 2001 directed toward the WWE's defunct football league, XFL.[106]
2003: National Nip/Tuck campaign, other campaigns against FX programming
In 2003, the Parents Television Council urged parents to petition Nip/Tuck for its "unbelievable" content. In 2004, they continued, and pushed harder when a threeway scene aired. In 2005, another threeway scene and a significant increase in sexual content caused the Parents Television Council to push Nip/Tuck into a national campaign, urging advertisers to cease sponsorship of the program.[107] In a letter to the PTC, a Mitsubishi Motors executive responded, "We certainly have no desire to offend consumers with our advertising, which is meant to entertain and inform potential customers about the benefits of purchasing our products. With this in mind, we have decided to discontinue advertising on Nip/Tuck." Thirty other advertisers pulled their advertising from the show.[108]
In response to this campaign, fans of Nip/Tuck criticized the PTC, claiming that their campaign was unjustified given that Nip/Tuck at the time was broadcast after 10:00 P.M. on a cable network. In response, PTC editor Kimberly McGovern explained that the PTC was concerned about irresponsible parents, who "outnumber the responsible" and would let their children watch the late-night-scheduled series, that the show can be aired as early as 7:00 P.M. for satellite television viewers residing within the Pacific Time Zone, and that FX had been irresponsibly promoting Nip/Tuck during times when children were likely to be watching, especially during a September 2003 showing of the children's film Space Jam. McGovern also anticipated that the series might be shown on network television, citing an interview with Nip/Tuck creator Ryan Murphy on the Bravo network special Sex in a Box.[109]
Currently, the PTC holds campaigns protesting other programs on FX, including Dirt,[110] Rescue Me,[111] and The Shield.[112] In addition, certain syndicated programs on the network have been condemned for their runs on primetime television. Those programs include Spin City,[35][38][113] Married...With Children,[35] That '70s Show,[38][37][28][114] The Practice,[115] Buffy the Vampire Slayer,[39][116][37] Dharma and Greg,[117] and Fear Factor.[14][118] Recently, the PTC condemned an airing of the new FX series Damages edited on My Network TV for not being edited enough to merit its given "TV-14-LSV" rating.[71]
2004: Super Bowl XXXVIII Halftime Show, other action for FCC indecency complaints
- Further information: Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy
PTC's prominence became evident after analysis of complaints to the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) underlined in Congressional hearings into the Janet Jackson Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy, in which one of Jackson's breasts, covered only by a nipple-shield, was momentarily displayed on network television; FCC chairman Michael Powell stated that the number of indecency complaints to the FCC had risen from 350 in the years 2000 and 2001, to 14,000 in 2002 and 240,000 in 2003.
The infamous halftime show paved way for the PTC to launch five more campaigns that year for its members to complain to the FCC, starting in March 2004 with an episode of That '70s Show titled "Happy Jack", which revolved around character Eric Forman being caught masturbating.[119] The beginning of the 2004–2005 television season sparked four new campaigns, the first being against NBC's animated sitcom Father of the Pride for its "barrage of sexual innuendo and profanity"[120] while being promoted "from the makers of Shrek", which would potentially attract children to watching the series. That campaign led to over 11,000 email complaints to the FCC.[121] Later, shortly after CBS broadcast the epithet "fuck" during an airing of Big Brother 5, the PTC took action again, this time citing that CBS ignored a warning from the FCC that there would be zero tolerance toward unbleeped profanity.[122] In October, the PTC took yet another large campaign against ABC's sitcom Life As We Know It, due to its target audience being children and teenagers and the show being allegedly sexually charged.[123] Their That 70s Show campaign was unsuccessful, but the Father of the Pride and Life As We Know It campaigns might have indirectly succeeded, as both shows were cancelled in midseason. However, the respective networks that aired those shows were not fined by the FCC. In fact, in December 2004, the PTC was accused of causing ABC to pre-empt Life As We Know It to air informercials for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital.[124]
2005: Without a Trace, MTV, "Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger" commercial
The PTC started off 2005 with their campaign against Without a Trace, leading to CBS being fined for indecency in March 2006.[125] In October 2007, PTC requested that the FCC deny broadcast license renewal for Salt Lake City CBS station KUTV because they felt that the broadcast of Without a Trace violated community standards for decency and that CBS failed to take action to reduce indecent content following the Without a Trace fines.[126] Subsequently, CBS agreed to pay the FCC $300,000 to settle the KUTV license challenge.[127]
Because the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show was produced by teen-oriented cable channel MTV, the PTC also launched a campaign to have companies pull advertising from the network following the halftime show, Brent Bozell having written a letter to the MTV's advertisers in 2004.[128] On February 1, 2005, the PTC launched a full-scale campaign against MTV,[129] starting with their study MTV Smut Peddlers: Targeting Kids with Sex, Drugs, and Alcohol.[130] Eventually, the PTC challenged advertisers buying airtime on MTV "to defend their sponsorship of teen-targeted TV smut".[131] The campaign was highly publicized, with MTV spokesperson Jeanette Kedas arguing that the PTC, in their campaign, underestimated "young people's intellect and their level of sophistication."[132]
In May 2005 Carl's Jr. introduced its "Spicy BBQ Six Dollar Burger" in a television advertisement featuring celebrity Paris Hilton in a swimsuit, soaping up a Bentley automobile while leaning on it, and then eating the burger. A similar ad with Hilton for Hardee's hamburger chain was aired in June 2005. The Parents Television Council and other media watchdog groups criticized the commercial for being shown during programs that were very likely to be watched by children. Melissa Caldwell, PTC research director, said, "This commercial is basically soft-core porn. The way she moves, the way she puts her finger in her mouth—it's very suggestive and very titillating."[133] The group mobilized more than one million members to contact the restaurant chain and voice their concern and claimed that "[i]f this television commercial were to go unchallenged it would set a new standard for acceptable television commercial content. " Caldwell, then-president Brent Bozell, and then-executive director Tim Winter appeared on various news programs such as Good Morning America, Today, The Early Show, American Morning, and The O'Reilly Factor to discuss this issue.[134] On June 13, 2005, television stations in the Western United States stopped showing the advertisement, with television stations in the East showing the advertisement only after 9:00 P.M.
Andy Puzder, CEO of Carl's Jr., says the group needs to "get a life...This isn't Janet Jackson—there is no nipple in this," referring to the Super Bowl XXXVIII halftime show controversy. He continued, "There is no nudity, there is no sex act — it's a beautiful model in a swimsuit washing a car."[135] In addition to featuring the ad on their web site, Carl's Jr. also set up another website playing a longer version of the commercial.
Cable choice
- Further information: Family and Consumer Choice Act of 2007
The PTC is an avid supporter of "a la carte" cable television services to allow families to choose only the cable television channels that are appropriate for their children.[136] Frequently, the Council has criticized programs on MTV, Comedy Central, and FX because they claim some of the content aired on those channels are inappropriate for younger viewers. The PTC's contempt against MTV is even higher because they claim that most MTV programming contains far too much profanity (including bleeped words) and other content inappropriate for its intended teenage audience. Recently, the organization has also pointed out the increase in racism on cable programming, among other programs Don Imus's comments regarding the Rutgers University women's basketball team on his radio program Imus in the Morning simulcast on MSNBC and the episode of Comedy Central's South Park that used "nigger" 42 times uncensored, as support for their cable choice campaign.[137] It should be noted that Imus in the Morning has been canceled altogether from TV and radio.
On the other side of the issue, the PTC has awarded its "Seal of Approval" to cable networks Disney Channel [138] and Hallmark Channel[139] for their family-friendly original programs. In addition, it has praised the USA Network detective series Monk for its minimal use of profanity and other indecent content.[140]
On June 14, 2007, United States Representatives Dan Lipinski (Democratic, Illinois) and Jeff Fortenberry (Republican, Nebraska) introduced into legislation the Family and Consumer Choice Act of 2007, which intends to allow families to choose and pay for only the cable television channels that they want to watch. The PTC praised their decisions, citing several shows soon to be on the air such as the fourth season Rescue Me beginning on FX, The Sopranos airing on A&E Network, and Comedy Central's "Dirty Dozen" block of its hit animated comedy series South Park, where the network would air the most profane, vulgar episodes of the series, including "The Death Camp of Tolerance" and "It Hits the Fan".[141]
HowCableShouldBe.com
In September 2007,[142] the PTC launched a new website, HowCableShouldBe.com, to allow cable customers to see how much they are paying for their monthly cable bill currently. PTC president Tim Winter calls it "the first tool that cuts through the cable industry's rhetoric and demonstrates clearly how subscribers are being fleeced."
Family Friendly Flights Act of 2007
In September 2007, the PTC launched a campaign to get airlines in America to reduce the amount of "PG-13" and "R"-rated films shown as in-flight entertainment. Consequently, Heath Shuler, Democratic representative of Tennessee, introduced the Family Friendly Flights Act of 2007 bill to require airlines to set aside "child-safe" viewing areas for families to sit in planes.[143]
Criticism
The PTC has been frequently criticized for hypocrisy and slanted reporting. Critics of the PTC have alleged that it supports increased governmental censorship of television by lobbying the FCC for indecency enforcement for certain television shows[144] and inaccurately reporting on the V-Chip in order to further their agenda.[145] The PTC has also shown the tendency to take taboo content in certain shows out of context. In a report titled Wolves in Sheep's Clothing,[146] which documents the increase in potentially violent, profane, and sexual content in children's programming, the PTC allegedly misinterpreted the SpongeBob SquarePants episode "Sailor Mouth". The episode originally aired during the 2001–2002 television season, ironically the season in which the PTC named SpongeBob SquarePants among the best programs on cable television,[147] but the report cited a repeat broadcast of the episode from 2005 to prove its point that it promoted use of profanity among children. However, a countering report argued that the episode went against the use of profanity.[148]
The backgrounds of certain PTC advisory board members has been questioned as not supporting the member's stance on morality.[149]
References
- ^ What is the PTC's mission?. Parents Television Council. Retrieved June 12, 2007.
- ^ Rice, Lynette (2007-05-02), "No S---! TV Execs, Uncensored", Entertainment Weekly, <http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20037552_2,00.html>
- ^ Shields, Todd. "Activists Dominate Content Complaints", Mediaweek, Parents Television Council, 2004-12-06. Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
- ^ Fisher, Ken. "Activist organization responsible for 99% of FCC complaints", arstechnica.com, Ars Technica, 2004-12-07. Retrieved on 2007-06-26.
- ^ "Saving the World's Largest Archive of Prime-Time Television". Parents Television Council. Retrieved April 12, 2007.
- ^ http://www.mediaresearch.org/archive/entcol/archive96.asp
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/culturewatch/archive.asp
- ^ Gildemeister, Christopher. Hollywood's Use of Language: From Class to Crass. Parents Television Council: September 28, 2007.
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/rgcolumns/main.asp
- ^ Gildemeister, Christopher. The 2007 Fall Season: Adventures in Perversity. Parents Television Council: October 8, 2007.
- ^ Gildemeister, Christopher. The Bizarre Sex Fall Season Continues. Parents Television Council: October 12, 2007.
- ^ [1]
- ^ a b All these shows are included currently in the PTC's list of red-rated shows.
- ^ a b Fear Factor - Parents Television Council Family TV Guide Show Page. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
- ^ PTC evaluation of Extreme Makeover
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/shows/main.asp?shwid=1845
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/shows/main.asp?shwid=2297
- ^ Current list of all shows evaluated by PTC
- ^ PTC evaluation on "The Agency"
- ^ PTC evaluation of "Just Shoot Me"
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/shows/main.asp?shwid=2591
- ^ PTC evaluation on "Monk"
- ^ PTC evaluation on "Rescue Me"
- ^ PTC evalution of "Sex and the City"
- ^ PTC evaluation on "The Shield"
- ^ Parents Television Council (2003-10-22). PTC Denounces FOX’s Latest Installment of Sleaze TV: Skin. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-08-16.
- ^ PTC guide to "That '70s Show" as of November 2002
- ^ a b That 70s Show - Parents Television Council Family TV Guide Show Page. ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
- ^ PTC Family Guide - Week of June 9, 2006
- ^ PTC guide to "Last Comic Standing"
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20030507035729/www.parentstv.org/guide/shows/accordingtojim.asp
- ^ PTC Family Guide - Week of March 3, 2006
- ^ PTC Family Guide - Week of June 30, 2006
- ^ PTC evaluation of "Everybody Loves Raymond"
- ^ a b c d e f Top 10 Best and Worst Shows on Primetime TV 1996-1997. ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council (1997). Retrieved on 2007-06-03.
- ^ a b c d e [2]
- ^ a b c d e f Top 10 Best and Worst Shows on Primetime Network TV 2001-2002. ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council (2002). Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
- ^ a b c d e f PTC's Annual Top 10 Best & Worst Family Shows on Network Television, 1998-99 TV Season. ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council (1999). Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
- ^ a b Top 10 Best and Worst Shows on Primetime Network TV 1999-2000. ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council (2000). Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/bw/archive.asp
- ^ All these shows are included currently as yellow
- ^ Shirlen, Josh (2007-07-27). Worst TV Show of the Week - "My Name is Earl" on NBC. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ^ Shirlen, Josh (2007-05-04). Worst TV Show of the Week - "Ugly Betty" on ABC. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ^ Moughty, Kaitlin (2006-07-07). Worst TV Show of the Week - "America's Got Talent" on NBC. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ^ Bowling, Aubree (2004-08-22). "Hope & Faith" - Worst Family TV Shows of the Week. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ Hanna, Karen (2005-03-20). Worst Family TV Shows of the Week - "My Wife and Kids" on ABC. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ^ Bowling, Aubree (2003-07-13). Worst Family TV Show of the Week - Scrubs on NBC. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ^ Monaco, Carl (2003-11-05). Worst Family TV Show of the Week - "Still Standing". Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/ptc/shows/main.asp?shwid=863
- ^ Isom, Chuck (2002-10-10). 8 simple rules for dating my teenage daughter- Best TV Show of the Week. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ^ Bowling, Aubree (2003-11-05). Best Family TV Show of the Week - "8 Simple Rules". Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ Bowling, Aubree (2004-02-12). "8 Simple Rules" - Best Family TV Show of the Week. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ Bowling, Aubree (2004-01-08). "The Tracy Morgan Show" - Best Family TV Shows of the Week. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ Schulenberg, Caroline (2005-12-08). Worst TV Show of the Week - "George Lopez". Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ^ Monaco, Carl (2003-10-09). Worst Family TV Show of the Week - "George Lopez" on ABC. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ Monaco, Carl (2004-01-08). "8 Simple Rules" - Worst Family TV Show of the Week. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ Sizemore, Frazier (2004-02-12). "The Tracy Morgan Show" - Worst Family TV Shows of the Week. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ PTC evaluation of So You Think You Can Dance
- ^ Schulenberg, Caroline (2007-07-27). Best Family TV Shows of the Week - So You Think You Can Dance. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ^ PTC has rated both The Biggest Loser and Brat Camp "red"
- ^ Schulenberg, Caroline. Best Family TV Shows of the Week - "The Biggest Loser" on NBC. Parents Television Council: Sept. 14, 2007.
- ^ Bowling, Aubree (2005-08-01). "Brat Camp" on ABC - Best Family TV Shows of the Week. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-29.
- ^ Bowling, Aubree (2004-01-22). "According to Jim" - Best Family TV Shows of the Week. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ Sizemore, Frazier (2004-05-30). "According to Jim" - Worst Family TV Shows of the Week. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ Shirlen, Josh (2007-05-25). Worst TV Show of the Week - "According to Jim" on ABC. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/awards/main.asp
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/awards/soa/ESOA.asp
- ^ So You Think You Can Rate A TV Show? - "Greek". Parents Television Council (2007-07-25). Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/publications/ratings/0810.asp
- ^ Parents Television Council (2007-08-07). PTC Condemns News Corp. for Reckless Programming Decision. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
- ^ a b So You Think You Can Rate A TV Show? - "Damages". Parents Television Council (2007-08-03). Retrieved on 2007-08-07.
- ^ Kuhn, Katherine (2007-08-31). So You Think You Can Rate a TV Show? - "Cold Case". Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
- ^ Kuhn, Katherine. So You Think You Can Rate a TV Show? - "Family Guy" on Fox. Parents Television Council: Sept. 14, 2007.
- ^ Kuhn, Katherine (2007-09-07). So You Think You Can Rate a TV Show? - "The Hills". Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-09-14.
- ^ Kuhn, Katherine (2007-08-24). So You Think You Can Rate a TV Show? - "The Knights of Prosperity" on ABC. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-24.
- ^ Misrated report on Law & Order: Special Victims Unit (Episode cited: "Uncle", rated "TV-14"
- ^ Kuhn, Katherine. So You Think You Can Rate a TV Show? - "Law & Order: Special Victims Unit" on NBC. Parents Television Council: October 8, 2007. (Episode cited: "Avatar", originally rated "TV-14")
- ^ Kuhn, Katherine. So You Think You Can Rate a TV Show - "Private Practice" on ABC. Parents Television Council: Sept. 28, 2007.
- ^ Parents Television Council (2006-09-01). PTC President Bozell Announces Decision to Step Down and Welcomes Tim Winter as New President. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
- ^ Thompson, Bob. "Fighting Indecency, One Bleep At a Time", Washingtonpost.com, The Washington Post, 2004-12-09, pp. C1. Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
- ^ Learmonth, Michael (2007-03-17). Parents Television Council sees new era. Variety. Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
- ^ Biography of Tim Winter
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/aboutus/advisoryboard/main.asp
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/aboutus/advisoryboard/patboone.htm
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/aboutus/advisoryboard/melrenfro.htm
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/aboutus/advisoryboard/colemanluck.htm
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/aboutus/advisoryboard/billyraycyrus.htm
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/aboutus/advisoryboard/sambrownback.htm
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/aboutus/advisoryboard/michaelmedved.htm
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/aboutus/advisoryboard/susanhoward.htm
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/aboutus/advisoryboard/garyjohnson.htm
- ^ http://www.parentstv.org/PTC/grassroots/main.asp
- ^ PTC biography on Steve Allen
- ^ Parents Television Council (2007-07-26). Parents Television Council Appointed to FCC’s Consumer Advisory Committee. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
- ^ "Recent Victories". Parents Television Council. Retrieved April 15, 2007.
- ^ PTC Complaints filed from 2004 to Present
- ^ PTC Smackdown Campaign Page - archived as of 31 October 2001. Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Parents Television Council (2001-10-31). Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
- ^ a b c World Wrestling Entertainment (2001-05-24). Judge rejects Parents Television Council motion to Dismiss Lawsuit. Press release.
- ^ WWF Smackdown - the Good Guys. Internet Archive Wayback Machine. Parents Television Council (2001-10-31). Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
- ^ http://web.archive.org/web/20001217051200/http://www.parentstv.org/publications/release/pr20000929_2.html
- ^ World Wrestling Entertainment (2000-11-09). Suit Filed Against L. Brent Bozell III, Media Research Center. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-08-08.
- ^ a b c Farhi, Paul. "TV Watchdog Apologizes for False Claims on Wrestling", The Washington Post, 2002-07-08, pp. C01. Retrieved on 2007-05-19.
- ^ World Wrestling Entertainment (2002-07-08). World Wrestling Entertainment Settles Lawsuit With Parents Television Council; Founder Brent Bozell Issues Apology. Press release.
- ^ Carnell, Brian (2002-07-09). Parents Television Council's Wrestling Moves Were Fake. Brian.Carnell.com. Retrieved on 2007-06-22.
- ^ The last time any WWF/E-produced program was included in a such list was after the 2001–02 TV season [3] [4], but the PTC no longer has any position on Friday Night Smackdown after the 2005–2006 season [5] - currently on its weekly family guide to the week in television, it asserts that it has no evaluation on SmackDown! [6], and the last time the PTC held any formal evaluation of the Smackdown program was in July 2002 [7].
- ^ The column, titled "The XFL in Search of Itself", is no longer available by its original URL but is currently archived at the Internet Archive Wayback Machine.
- ^ PTC "Nip/Tuck" campaign page
- ^ Parents Television Council (2006-10-03). PTC Commends Mitsubishi Motors for Ending Sponsorship of Nip/Tuck. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-07-10.
- ^ PTC Letters to the editor archive from 2004
- ^ PTC "Dirt" campaign page
- ^ PTC "Rescue Me" Campaign page
- ^ PTC "The Shield" Campaign Page
- ^ [8]
- ^ Bowling, Aubree (2003-06-08). Worst Family TV Show of the Week - "That 70s Show". Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-13.
- ^ The Practice - Parents Television Council Family TV Guide Show Page. ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
- ^ Top 10 Best and Worst Shows on Primetime Network TV 2000-2001. ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council (2001). Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
- ^ [9]
- ^ PTC list of ten best and worst shows of 2003-2004
- ^ Content from the March 24, 2004 episode of Fox's That '70s Show
- ^ Tim Winter's email alert to PTC members regarding "Father of the Pride"
- ^ Halonen, Doug (2004-10-18). PTC E-Mails Generate Results. Television Week. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-07-18.
- ^ Tim Winter's email alert to PTC members regarding "Big Brother 5"
- ^ Tim Winter's email alert to PTC memebers regarding "Life As We Know It"
- ^ Blackwell, Pete (2004-12-19). The Parents Television Council Must Die!. Parenthetical Remarks. Blogspot. Retrieved on 2007-07-20.
- ^ Finn, Natalie. "CBS Fined for "Trace" of Indecency", Eonline.com, E!, 2006-03-15. Retrieved on 2007-06-23.
- ^ Eggerton, John. CBS Defends Inaction on Without a Trace. Broadcasting & Cable: October 22, 2007.
- ^ Eggerton, John. CBS Pays $300,000 To Settle KUTV License Challenge. Broadcasting & Cable: November 23, 2007.
- ^ Letter to MTV sponsors
- ^ PTC campaign against MTV
- ^ Williams, Casey (2005-02-01). MTV Smut Peddlers: Targeting Kids with Sex, Drugs, and Alcohol. ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on [[2007-05-19]].
- ^ Parents Television Council (2005-03-30). PTC Releases Top Ten Corporate Sponsors of MTV Sleaze and Challenges Companies to Defend Their Sponsorship of Teen-Targeted TV Smut. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-08-08.
- ^ Eggerton, John (2005-02-01). PTC Doesn't Want Its MTV. Broadcasting & Cable. Retrieved on 2007-07-30.
- ^ James, Meg (2005-05-24). Critics are saying 'That's Too Hot' of sexy Carl's Jr. ad. Los Angeles Times. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- ^ PTC campaign against Carl's Jr
- ^ Silver, Caleb. "No apologies for sexy Paris Hilton ad", CNN, 2005-06-01. Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
- ^ Winter, Tim. Cable Choice is the Right Choice. ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-06-28.
- ^ "PTC Says Racist and Anti-Semitic Cable Fare Underscores Need for Cable Choice". Parents Television Council. Retrieved April 11, 2007.
- ^ PTC Awards Disney for Family-Friendly Advertising Practices. Parents Television Council. March 8, 2007. Retrieved [[[April 12]], 2007.
- ^ Review - Naomi's New Morning. ParentsTV.org. Parents Television Council (2007-05-04).
- ^ Monk - Parents Television Council Family Guide TV Show Page
- ^ Families Applaud Cable Choice Proposal. Parents Television Council. 14 June 2007.
- ^ [10] PTC Shows Consumers How Cable Should Be. 25 September 2007.
- ^ Eggerton, John. PTC Seeks In-Flight-Video Guidelines. Broadcasting & Cable: September 28, 2007.
- ^ Television Watch (2006-06-15). TV Watch Statement on Government's Role in Controlling What's on TV. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-06-19.
- ^ Parents Want Control of TV. TV Watch. March 15, 2007. Retrieved April 22, 2007.
- ^ Kristen Fyfe (2006-03-02). "Wolves in Sheep's Clothing: A Content Analysis of Children's Television". Parents Television Council. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- ^ Parents Television Council (2002-08-01). PTC's First Annual Top Ten Best & Worst Cable Shows of the 2001/2002 TV Season. Press release. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- ^ Huff, Richard (2006-03-04). A four-letter word for decency police: Lame. New York Daily News. Retrieved on 2007-08-05.
- ^ Christensen, Christian (2005-01-26). Pixelate the Morality Police. CommonDreams.org. CommonDreams.org. Retrieved on 2007-06-03.
See also
- Criticism of Family Guy
- For The Children (politics)
- Mary Whitehouse, founder of the National Viewers' and Listeners' Association, the forerunner of the UK's Mediawatch.
- Media influence
- Media Research Center
- Media violence research
- Moral influence of MTV
- Right to Censor, a WWE parody of the organization
- Television Watch, organization that argues that the PTC's research is inaccurate and that parental responsibility, not governmental censorship, is how parents should monitor their children's television viewing.
External links
- Parents Television Council website
- Disinfopedia entry on Parents Television Council
- Newspaper editorials debating the logic of the PTC:
- (Con) "The nanny inside your TV" by Robyn Blumner
- (Pro) "An attack on Parents Television Council is attack on all families" by Ashley Kartchner, director of the PTC branch in southern Utah